Reflections: On Travelling Badly
What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Or so they say.
Quite contrary to our usual publications which feature the very best on offer in the travel world, we thought we'd take a different approach this time: Edition Eleven is a collection of the travel worst. To speak frankly, this is not just about entertainment and shock value. Many of us secretly adore reading the really bad reviews, in hopes that we're not the ones actually writing them ourselves. Unfortunately, in order to travel exceptionally, we also need to know what travelling badly is like to truly appreciate the finer things.
I've ran across airports to be the last one to get on overnight flights, totally sweating through my clothes as though I've just jumped in a pool. My husband was taken into a room and literally strip searched in Israel after being profiled by his birthplace. I've gripped the armrests of a plane seat as the turbulence got so bad that people were vomiting in the paper bags from the seat back pockets. I've designed hotel rooms knowing that the best rooms will endure roughly performed sexual acts on nearly every surface, ensuring that those surfaces are easily cleanable. And no, they don't often clean those decorative pillows that touch your fresh white bed pillows.
We've had many a client reach out to us and tell us their travel nightmares. From moldy rooms, unmatched expectations, to service missteps. We even know of people canceling mid-trip and forgoing tens of thousands of dollars out of sheer devastating disappointment. That's why they come to us: we provide an extra layer of security in scrutinizing where they are about to embark and invest their monies and time. And for those investments, the places they visit really should be exceptional.
Oftentimes, these experiences stick with us more than even good ones. While they may not be fun to experience in the moment, they certainly give us fun tales to tell when we return...sometimes for years on end. More than a decade ago, we checked into a "five star" hotel in the Brazilian Amazon that felt like a Stephen King novel. We've paid big bucks for sub-par service at one of North America's flashiest hotel new-comers (in Maine). And we've started keeping a collection of the best-worst comments and reviews that we and others come across on our scours of TripAdvisor pages. But it's not all about disasters and disappointment. We are also sharing some good intel to help mitigate the worst. You'll see our wise decision to purchase insurance before an accident in New Zealand nearly ruined our vacation. Plus, how to avoid bedbugs and book the safest seats on a plane.
And that's what we are relishing in this edition—the worst of times—in an effort to ultimately help you travel better (Syllogi's mission).
Return to all the articles in Edition Eleven
Photo Credit: Syllogi
